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ADVENT REFLECTION (END OF ADVENT SEASON)

Congratulations to you for successfully ending the journey of Advent! Advent ends on December 24 and the next day December 25 is Christmas, the commemoration of the first Advent or the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Christmas reflection has already been published on the website (https://nobiblenobreakfast.com/2022/12/20/shalom/)

The theme for our reflection is a people of priests. A Jewish priest is a person who is a descendant of Zadok, founder of the priesthood of Jerusalem when the First Temple was built by Solomon (10th century BC). Zadok is related to Aaron, the first Jewish priest, who was appointed to that office by his younger brother, Moses. Though laymen such as Gideon, David, and Solomon offered sacrifice as God commanded, the Hebrew priesthood was hereditary in biblical times and was transmitted exclusively to male descendants of Aaron of the tribe of Levi.(https://www.britannica.com/topic/cohen) The priests were to officiate at many offerings under the Law of Moses, including the burnt offering, meal offering, dough offering, sin offering, guilt offering, release of the scapegoat, peace offering, heave offering, drink offering, incense offering, thank offering, etc., throughout the liturgical year.

Dear friend, one cannot be a priest unless he comes from a particular lineage of priests. However, through our salvation in Jesus and “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10) In other words, Jesus, our High Priest saved us and consecrated us as a holy people of priests so that God will accept our bodies as a living and spiritual sacrifice or offering. We now belong to the commonwealth of the priesthood of believers or a people consecrated for God’s purpose in the world. This is how precious we are before God, let us hold onto our new nature as consecrated priests in the spiritual house or temple (the Church) of our Lord Jesus Christ even as we await His second Advent. Because we are a people of priests, Paul admonishes us that “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (because we are a people of priests at the same time living sacrifices offered to God). Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2). Shalom.

PRAYER

Almighty God, we thank you for journeying with us throughout the Advent season, may we continually cherish and uphold the honour You have done us by making us a people of priests through our Lord Jesus Christ. Strengthen us to continually offer our bodies as living sacrifices acceptable to You as our spiritual worship in preparing for the second Advent or coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.